Vapaneezer Scrooge
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A bit of an unusual review for me, I originally reviewed the Novo 4 for the front end instead of the forum, usually it is one or the other so when I was offered the chance to review it for SourceMore I took the opportunity to do a separate second review.
Supplied by Sourcemore for review
https://www.sourcemore.com/smok-novo-4-pod-kit.html
(Currently at $18.88 - possibly cheaper if I can get a coupon code).
SMOK Novo 4 Specifications
Unboxing
As far as the bundle and packaging there are no surprises here, I would say it is fit for purposes and little waste, there is a 2 piece sleeve & box with a foam insert holding everything together. You get the Novo 4, 1 pod, 2 coils and a USB-C cable.
I would say the only wasteful thing is the overblown manual, in reality you only need 1 page if that, obviously Smok had to include all the legal bumf small-print, personally I don't need the charging cable but I'm sure it's sensible to include one, especially for new vapers.
Naturally you get the customary authentication checks on the box and on an insert but I really doubt that lower price stuff would be cloned but it's better to have it than not.
My first Novo 4 colour option (Blue Grey Cobra) was right up my alley (no bum pun intended) with the chrome chassis, I thought the Silver would be the same but it has a duller satin silver finish, though I thought I wouldn't like it as much I ended up preferring it due to it not showing up ANY fingerprints, one of the few in my vast Smok collection that doesn't.
Overview
The pod is a friction fit with no magnets but it fits really well with no wobble and is very secure. On the front is a small screen, a single control button and an airflow adjustment dial which has just the right amount of resistance that I could adjust it easily with my thumb or fingernail and stayed in place during use. The USB-C port is located on the base which is perfectly positioned for a pod of this size.
On the back is just the name, battery mAh and the CE marking as well as the do not recycle logo. Normally I wouldn’t like all that plastered on the face of a device but it is colour matched and subtle.
The only niggle I had at this point in my original review was that the base is curved so the Novo 4 doesn’t stand upright, this hasn't bothered me in the slightest when in use, I use mine on a lanyard so it's handy in the car etc.
Pod
I prefer the Novo 4 over my previous favourite Smok pod; the ACRO is that the pod is reusable so you just replace the coils which is far less wasteful. The pod has a clear base and a smoked black mouthpiece which makes it easy to see when filling it up and still clear enough to judge your juice level during use.
Fitting and replacing the coils is pleasingly easy, they are press fit and not too tight so you can pull them out easily, the airflow is quite clever and promises to be leak resistant as it channels through a notched pod base instead of from the coil base directly. The filling port is a bit small with a little rubber bung, it is more suited for small nozzle juice bottles, surprisingly it was actually very easy and mess free to fill without any airlocks, much better than the skinny ACRO pod as there’s room around the coil for the juice to flow with no airlocks.
One of the things Smok used to get wrong was the wicking port size; they have got it just right on these little coils which means the coil life should be longer and the lottery of getting a dry hit after a day or so is now gone.
Operation
The Novo 4 is designed to be very simple to use but with the ability to refine the vape with variable wattage and adjustable airflow, these 2 features make all the difference while vaping.
Firstly the airflow dial is one of the best I have tried on any pod I have tried, it is just so effective and I can get a super tight draw from it, to the point that I actually needed to open it a bit, this may not sound much but this is a huge improvement on any Smok device I have tried.
Using DeeDee's Draw-Ometer scoring (0 being super tight & 10 is sloppy loose) this is the closest I have found that ranks a 1/10 and borders on a 0/10 which is pretty rare, this might not suit all users but it does open up for a looser draw which is still reasonably tight and I would say a 5/10, I did try an RDL draw but that was too tight so if you're looking for the Novo 4 for RDL I would say you would be better off looking elsewhere.
(I have revised this from my original review)
The screen is pretty small but clear and bright, I'm impressed they managed to squeeze in the battery percentage in such a small space, nice one Smok! There's no wasted or unnecessary information on the screen:
There's no fire button as it is auto-draw, since the airflow is restrictive it makes it perform perfectly, if it had a fire button I wouldn't use it.
Performance (below is my original review, I will add After 6 Weeks at the end)
After priming up the coil for 10 minutes, I set the wattage to 10 Watts and took my first toot. Right off the bat, the flavour was incredible. I did need to find my sweet spot with the airflow as it had quite a broad range; I found this easier to do by turning the device off and drawing while rotating the dial until I got it to my preference. For me, I had it almost closed off to get a proper tight cheek-pulling MTL draw, with that done I turned it back on and carried on vaping. Though the flavour was good right off the bat, it only improved as the coil bedded in.
Using Rachael Rabbit 20mg Blueberry Citrus & Pineapple Nic Salts, I was happier than a pig in shit with the vape I was getting from the Novo 4. As good as the ACRO was, this was just much better, the draw was similar but the flavour was so much stronger. I always try to hammer the first coil when reviewing so I used this exclusively and due to the flavour, I naturally hammered it. It kept up with chain vaping and continued to wick without a hint of a dry hit. I did creep the wattage up to 12 watts but soon went back down to 10.5 which was just right for the tighter airflow.
The mouthpiece is spot on. It is similar to the old Nord but is a lot smaller and feels MTL, smoothly contoured and comfortable with a reasonably narrow bore to make the draw feel very smooth. You could tell this is a mesh coil as the draw is always instant and intense, I think Smok made the right choice with 0.8Ω coils as I think it’s a perfect beginner pod as well as for experienced pod users.
Battery life
I was a little surprised that the Novo 4 only had an 800mAh battery considering it has a screen, so I was expecting the battery life to be a bit pants. Not the case so far, I’m getting around 400+ puffs between charges. I do notice the power drop off as the charge gets low but it is still useable. Charging time was pretty standard and rarely took over 45 minutes.
AFTER 6 WEEKS
Little has changed in the 6 weeks but I have appreciated it a lot more, it has become my go-to pod most days, this is quite something considering the competition, the last time I used a pod this heavily was with the Vaporesso OSMALL but that was a leaky little bugger and not as tight an airflow, the flavour is quite similar but the overall vape is better.
I've yet to have a dry hit from the Novo4, as the coil degrades you do start to notice a burnt taste but this is common for all stock MTL coils, the coil lasts well and it's on par with most of my high ohm coils (over 1.0ohms), I have recorded the puff counter this time around and I am on 1,4000 puffs so far, the flavour has dropped off and the juice has started to darken, I could get a couple more days out of it but it's worth changing at this point.
I do look at my other pods and wonder what Smok could do to improve the Novo 4 and to be honest there's nothing I think Smok got wrong, perhaps a different shaped mouthpiece like the Vaporesso Luxe Q but that's a personal choice.
Even the Smok-ed coloured exposed part of the pod is just right for seeing your juice level as you can see when it starts to get low, filling it up has been easy and mess free.
**EVERYTHING below is from my original review, I intended to edit it to reflect long term use but it all remains the same, I haven't had any leaks and the coils have lasted much longer than my expectations. Even the superb Smok Gram-25 which arrived shortly after my review hasn't swayed my opinion.
Conclusion
The Novo 4 is simply the best MTL Smok device I have tried and easily rivals my other branded MTL pods. It’s similar to the Wotofo Manik but for me the device is much better and the pods aren’t disposable, it’s better than the Vaporesso Luxe Q for several reasons (mostly the tighter draw). Once the novelty factor has faded, I think this could well be my favourite MTL pod and is easily in my top 3.
Smok have won me back big time for MTL vaping with this device and have eliminated my old ‘Smok don’t do MTL’ preconceptions, Smok most definitely do MTL and I’m now watching closely with what else they come up with, MTL mod and Tank? Bring it on Smok!
Pros
Final thoughts
Smok have gone from piss poor MTL to being amongst the very best MTL this year which is quite a feat considering the already competitive pods and tanks that have stormed the market in late 2020 to current 2021.
I have been waiting for this moment ever since I bought the first NORD pod. As much as I loved it at the time, I always hated the loose draw and big-gob mouthpiece. The Novo 4 has made up for all that the Nord failed on and with much better flavour.
Scores
Finally, a picture speaks a thousand words, this photo sums up my frustration with the Smok Nord (original) and the delight of Smok Novo 4 (on the left)
Supplied by Sourcemore for review
https://www.sourcemore.com/smok-novo-4-pod-kit.html
(Currently at $18.88 - possibly cheaper if I can get a coupon code).
SMOK Novo 4 Specifications
- Pod capacity - 2ml
- Coil resistance - 0.8ohm mesh
- Battery capacity - 800mAh
- Output wattage - 5-25W
- Dimensions – 93.5mm x 26.5mm x 17.7mm
Unboxing
As far as the bundle and packaging there are no surprises here, I would say it is fit for purposes and little waste, there is a 2 piece sleeve & box with a foam insert holding everything together. You get the Novo 4, 1 pod, 2 coils and a USB-C cable.
I would say the only wasteful thing is the overblown manual, in reality you only need 1 page if that, obviously Smok had to include all the legal bumf small-print, personally I don't need the charging cable but I'm sure it's sensible to include one, especially for new vapers.
Naturally you get the customary authentication checks on the box and on an insert but I really doubt that lower price stuff would be cloned but it's better to have it than not.
My first Novo 4 colour option (Blue Grey Cobra) was right up my alley (no bum pun intended) with the chrome chassis, I thought the Silver would be the same but it has a duller satin silver finish, though I thought I wouldn't like it as much I ended up preferring it due to it not showing up ANY fingerprints, one of the few in my vast Smok collection that doesn't.
Overview
The pod is a friction fit with no magnets but it fits really well with no wobble and is very secure. On the front is a small screen, a single control button and an airflow adjustment dial which has just the right amount of resistance that I could adjust it easily with my thumb or fingernail and stayed in place during use. The USB-C port is located on the base which is perfectly positioned for a pod of this size.
On the back is just the name, battery mAh and the CE marking as well as the do not recycle logo. Normally I wouldn’t like all that plastered on the face of a device but it is colour matched and subtle.
The only niggle I had at this point in my original review was that the base is curved so the Novo 4 doesn’t stand upright, this hasn't bothered me in the slightest when in use, I use mine on a lanyard so it's handy in the car etc.
Pod
I prefer the Novo 4 over my previous favourite Smok pod; the ACRO is that the pod is reusable so you just replace the coils which is far less wasteful. The pod has a clear base and a smoked black mouthpiece which makes it easy to see when filling it up and still clear enough to judge your juice level during use.
Fitting and replacing the coils is pleasingly easy, they are press fit and not too tight so you can pull them out easily, the airflow is quite clever and promises to be leak resistant as it channels through a notched pod base instead of from the coil base directly. The filling port is a bit small with a little rubber bung, it is more suited for small nozzle juice bottles, surprisingly it was actually very easy and mess free to fill without any airlocks, much better than the skinny ACRO pod as there’s room around the coil for the juice to flow with no airlocks.
One of the things Smok used to get wrong was the wicking port size; they have got it just right on these little coils which means the coil life should be longer and the lottery of getting a dry hit after a day or so is now gone.
Operation
The Novo 4 is designed to be very simple to use but with the ability to refine the vape with variable wattage and adjustable airflow, these 2 features make all the difference while vaping.
Firstly the airflow dial is one of the best I have tried on any pod I have tried, it is just so effective and I can get a super tight draw from it, to the point that I actually needed to open it a bit, this may not sound much but this is a huge improvement on any Smok device I have tried.
Using DeeDee's Draw-Ometer scoring (0 being super tight & 10 is sloppy loose) this is the closest I have found that ranks a 1/10 and borders on a 0/10 which is pretty rare, this might not suit all users but it does open up for a looser draw which is still reasonably tight and I would say a 5/10, I did try an RDL draw but that was too tight so if you're looking for the Novo 4 for RDL I would say you would be better off looking elsewhere.
(I have revised this from my original review)
The screen is pretty small but clear and bright, I'm impressed they managed to squeeze in the battery percentage in such a small space, nice one Smok! There's no wasted or unnecessary information on the screen:
- Wattage
- Battery bar with percentage
- Coil resistance
- Puff counter
There's no fire button as it is auto-draw, since the airflow is restrictive it makes it perform perfectly, if it had a fire button I wouldn't use it.
Performance (below is my original review, I will add After 6 Weeks at the end)
After priming up the coil for 10 minutes, I set the wattage to 10 Watts and took my first toot. Right off the bat, the flavour was incredible. I did need to find my sweet spot with the airflow as it had quite a broad range; I found this easier to do by turning the device off and drawing while rotating the dial until I got it to my preference. For me, I had it almost closed off to get a proper tight cheek-pulling MTL draw, with that done I turned it back on and carried on vaping. Though the flavour was good right off the bat, it only improved as the coil bedded in.
Using Rachael Rabbit 20mg Blueberry Citrus & Pineapple Nic Salts, I was happier than a pig in shit with the vape I was getting from the Novo 4. As good as the ACRO was, this was just much better, the draw was similar but the flavour was so much stronger. I always try to hammer the first coil when reviewing so I used this exclusively and due to the flavour, I naturally hammered it. It kept up with chain vaping and continued to wick without a hint of a dry hit. I did creep the wattage up to 12 watts but soon went back down to 10.5 which was just right for the tighter airflow.
The mouthpiece is spot on. It is similar to the old Nord but is a lot smaller and feels MTL, smoothly contoured and comfortable with a reasonably narrow bore to make the draw feel very smooth. You could tell this is a mesh coil as the draw is always instant and intense, I think Smok made the right choice with 0.8Ω coils as I think it’s a perfect beginner pod as well as for experienced pod users.
Battery life
I was a little surprised that the Novo 4 only had an 800mAh battery considering it has a screen, so I was expecting the battery life to be a bit pants. Not the case so far, I’m getting around 400+ puffs between charges. I do notice the power drop off as the charge gets low but it is still useable. Charging time was pretty standard and rarely took over 45 minutes.
AFTER 6 WEEKS
Little has changed in the 6 weeks but I have appreciated it a lot more, it has become my go-to pod most days, this is quite something considering the competition, the last time I used a pod this heavily was with the Vaporesso OSMALL but that was a leaky little bugger and not as tight an airflow, the flavour is quite similar but the overall vape is better.
I've yet to have a dry hit from the Novo4, as the coil degrades you do start to notice a burnt taste but this is common for all stock MTL coils, the coil lasts well and it's on par with most of my high ohm coils (over 1.0ohms), I have recorded the puff counter this time around and I am on 1,4000 puffs so far, the flavour has dropped off and the juice has started to darken, I could get a couple more days out of it but it's worth changing at this point.
I do look at my other pods and wonder what Smok could do to improve the Novo 4 and to be honest there's nothing I think Smok got wrong, perhaps a different shaped mouthpiece like the Vaporesso Luxe Q but that's a personal choice.
Even the Smok-ed coloured exposed part of the pod is just right for seeing your juice level as you can see when it starts to get low, filling it up has been easy and mess free.
**EVERYTHING below is from my original review, I intended to edit it to reflect long term use but it all remains the same, I haven't had any leaks and the coils have lasted much longer than my expectations. Even the superb Smok Gram-25 which arrived shortly after my review hasn't swayed my opinion.
Conclusion
The Novo 4 is simply the best MTL Smok device I have tried and easily rivals my other branded MTL pods. It’s similar to the Wotofo Manik but for me the device is much better and the pods aren’t disposable, it’s better than the Vaporesso Luxe Q for several reasons (mostly the tighter draw). Once the novelty factor has faded, I think this could well be my favourite MTL pod and is easily in my top 3.
Smok have won me back big time for MTL vaping with this device and have eliminated my old ‘Smok don’t do MTL’ preconceptions, Smok most definitely do MTL and I’m now watching closely with what else they come up with, MTL mod and Tank? Bring it on Smok!
Pros
- Superb flavour
- A proper MTL draw
- Screen is bob on
- Stylish and ergonomic
- Decent screen
- Ideal starter kit
- …
Final thoughts
Smok have gone from piss poor MTL to being amongst the very best MTL this year which is quite a feat considering the already competitive pods and tanks that have stormed the market in late 2020 to current 2021.
I have been waiting for this moment ever since I bought the first NORD pod. As much as I loved it at the time, I always hated the loose draw and big-gob mouthpiece. The Novo 4 has made up for all that the Nord failed on and with much better flavour.
Scores
- Flavour: 9.5/10
- Airflow: 9/10
- Ergonomics: 8.5/10
- Value: 9/10
Finally, a picture speaks a thousand words, this photo sums up my frustration with the Smok Nord (original) and the delight of Smok Novo 4 (on the left)
